Anglo gives 30-day leave to workers at suspended Brazil iron ore mine

Anglo American Plc said on Monday it was giving 30 days' leave to 766 workers at its suspended Minas-Rio mine in Brazil as of Tuesday.

The company halted production and transport operations for 90 days at the mine at the start of April to comply with a request by authorities that it inspects a pipeline that has leaked twice.

Anglo froze operations at the mine in the Minas Gerais state after the second leak was discovered on March 29, in a pipeline which carries iron ore in slurry to an export terminal in coastal Rio de Janeiro.

Another leak in a different section of the same pipeline prompted Anglo to suspend operations at the mine from March 12-27, raising fresh questions about mining oversight in Brazil.

The company said essential security activities would be maintained at Minas-Rio, from where 98 employees have been transferred to a nickel mine in Goias state.